Why Do We Quit?

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An experiment was done a couple of years ago and was published in the journal cell cell press journal, excellent journal. It showed that thereis a class of neurons in our brain stem, in the back of our brain, that if they shut off, we quit. Now these neurons release epinefron which acts as an alertness signal for the whole brain. And when we are engaged in effort, this readiness signal is being churned into our brain when wee relax and we're falling asleep. So think about epinefron as a readiness signal.

This episode I discuss endurance: our ability to perform effort over extended amounts of time. I describe the four kinds of endurance: muscular endurance, long duration (single-set) efforts, and the two kinds of high intensity interval training (HIIT). I discuss efficiency of effort and maximizing quality of effort, and a hydration formula. I review how our heart literally gets stronger when we oxygenate muscles properly. I also discuss motivation for long bouts of work and the visual physiological basis of the "extra gear" we all can leverage for effort. Finally, I review how accelerating as we fatigue can allow us to access untapped energetic resources.

Access the full show notes, including referenced articles, resources and more at hubermanlab.com.